Alleged assault victim withdraws his complaint
Dear Sir,
AN alleged injured party in an assault case told Judge Kevin Kilrane he wanted to withdraw the allegation made as there had been a misunderstanding.
Brian Duke (39) of Bannon Terrace, Longford was charged with trespass and also assault causing harm.
The alleged charges related to his entering Dun Eilise, Breeogue, Knockahur, Co Sligo as a trespasser and assaulting Mr Cathal O’Hehir causing him harm on April 2nd 2019.
Sergeant Derek Butler told the judge he had been speaking to the injured party who was in court.
He referred to the allegations that had been made against Mr Duke.
Mr O’Hehir said he wished to withdraw them.
He said that they were based on a misunderstanding and he would like to withdraw.
The sergeant asked if he was under duress to do so and he replied no.
Sergeant Butler then applied for a strike out of both charges, which was granted by Judge Kevin Kilrane.
IT’S diffic ult not to f eel great sympathy for the people of South Sligo who seem to be suffering more than most over the past while. As if the N17 wasn’t bad enough to have to put up with - the speed limit on the main route from Galway to Sligo has been slapped with an 80kph zone in places.
It’s a clear recognition by the authorities, be it the Road Safety Authority or the County Council that it just isn’t safe anymore.
It has no hard shoulders and is full of hidden dips, bad bends and a poor enough surface despite the best efforts of the Council.
It’s way down the list of priorities for Transport Infrastructure Ireland and while routes are being laid out including for the long awaited by-pass of Tubbercurry, the reality is it could be a decade before we see work starting.
Look at how long it has taken for the short stretch of the N4 from Collooney to Castlebaldwin to be tackled?
For whatever reason, the N17 seems to be gone off the political agenda, it’s as if there’s a certain acceptance that there’s no reality to it being pushed up the list in the short term and this isn’t right.
The late councillor Margaret Gormley was constantly raising the N17 at council meetings going back to the 1990s.
She never let an opportunity go without raising the matter and wondering if anything could be done. There was often no updated response from officials to Cllr Gormley, they being as much frustrated with the lack of progress as she was.
The major town in South Sligo suffered greatly too over the decades with factory and business closures as the shift towards Sligo became more obvious both in terms of investment and jobs. It’s a resilient town however and it has stood up to what has come its way.
For three years some 13,000 people in the area had to boil its drinking water. It would have been national news if it happened in Dublin but Tubber had to suffer on while Irish Water went about securing planning for an upgrade of its Lough Talt Water Treatment Plant.
And, just as it has come on stream as it were, we learn this week that the water coming from the €10m upgraded plant is yellow and brown in colour.
This is one issue that should be resolved as soon as possible for the people of Tubbercurry and its surrounds.
It will be most interesting to see whether Green Transport Minister Eamon Ryan will accept your kind invitation to visit Sligo to view at first hand the inferior transport infrastructure in the West of Ireland. (Editor’s View The Sligo Champion February 16).
I wouldn’t hold my breath. He could then be shown at first hand the state of the atrocious road surfaces at Cloonagh, Ballinfull near Grange which is covered in potholes.
Also, the busy, N15, N16 and N17 routes that have been neglected by successive governments for years.
The extremely busy N17 from Sligo to Galway which had an 80kph speed limit slapped on it some time ago has a number of busy entrances and exits that are in need of urgent attention.
If, as a motorist, you are unlucky enough to get stuck behind a heavy goods vehicle it could take several kilometers to overtake.
In the meantime, traffic continues to build up behind it, causing much frustration and anxiety in trying to get to work or a hospital appointment on time.
The much talked about Tubbercurry by-pass on this route is now more than 10 years in the planning process. Why?
The utter neglect of the complete development of Sligo Airport is a disgrace and must be addressed as a matter of some urgency. More health centres are required throughout the entire region.
There has been a great campaign waged in recent years to create a Greenway in Sligo. Why not?
With a green Minister at the helm this should be a given.
All these developments are badly needed and should proceed in tandem with each other. This sad situation would not be tolerated in Kerry, where a certain set of political brothers would be jumping up and down in Dail Eireann raising hell on these issues.
Perhaps this is the approach that is needed from our local representatives (with one or two exceptions) in Leinster House to highlight the neglect that has gone on for many years, west of the Shannon.
Yours Faithfully,